How to Know if It's Faith, From a Part of My Book "Unapologetic"

Let me give you some indicators when faith is on the hook. Faith is certain. It doesn’t entertain much doubt at all. Faith refuses to change its mind in the face of good solid evidence. Faith seems to always find that small little hole through which it can still maintain it was not obliterated by the evidence. It has a deer in the headlights look when encountering a good argument to the contrary for the first time.

Probably the best way to figure out if an idea is held by faith, rather than because of the probabilities based on good evidence, is the intersection where faith and science meet. If there is overwhelming support for an idea in the global scientific community then that idea has the backing of very strong objective evidence. It’s faith if it objects to that idea. Evolution is one of them. The present crisis of human caused climate change is another one. That vaccines save lives is yet another one. Science delivers the goods. Period. Faith does not.

By contrast to the assured results of the consensus of scientists, if an idea is not agreed upon by religious believers, then to that same degree of disagreement the idea is faith-based, false and probably unworthy of serious consideration. Moreover, if an idea is only—or largely—held by people in one part of the globe, then to that same degree of global separation the idea is faith-based, false and probably unworthy of serious consideration. If that idea is only contained in one religious book, or only held by a sect within a sect of a religion, then to that same degree the idea is faith-based, false and probably unworthy of serious consideration.

Furthermore, if any religion has taught, or still teaches, its church, mosque, temple, shine or holy place sits at the center of the earth, then that faith is false and probably unworthy of serious consideration. If any religion has taught, or still teaches, it’s okay to enslave people against their will, or mistreat and rape women, then that faith is false and probably unworthy of serious consideration. If any religion has taught, or still teaches, it’s mandatory—or even permissible—to kill homosexuals, witches, heretics, apostates and/or people who hold another religion, then that faith is false and probably unworthy of serious consideration. If any religion has taught, or still teaches, that it’s okay to brutalize animals due to some kind of dominion mandate, or dash babies against the rocks as the last acts of genocide, then that faith is false and probably unworthy of serious consideration. If any religion has taught, or still teaches, their God approves and/or commands a holy war in defense of its sacred truths, or to convert people by force, or to steal land from others then that faith is false and probably unworthy of serious consideration.

Any questions?

0 comments: